BY ROBERT MORAN

Daily Titan Staff Writer

news@dailytitan.com

As part of Cal State Fullertons two-day Constitution Day festivities, a three-member panel comprised of Communications Dean Rick Pullen, Professor of Political Science Scott Spitzer, and Professor of Criminal Justice Max Dery. The discussion was held in the Quad, dubbed Contemporary Challenges under the U.S. Constitution. The trio of panelists discussed the effects that the war on terror has had on the home front. Spitzer was the first to speak, highlighting the fact that the modern presidency has become the centerpiece of the national government since Franklin Delano Roosevelt served in the oval office. The expansion has risen in stark contrast to the system of checks and balances put in place by the Founding Fathers. Presidents always expand their powers during wartime, Spitzer said. According to Spitzer, the power of the presidency has become unfettered and unchecked under the Bush Administration. According to Spitzer, the Bush Administration has adopted a policy that focuses on Article II of the Constitution. This view basically says the President can do and must do whatever he and his advisers believe is necessary in order to protect American security, Spitzer said. Even if that means violating Congressional laws like FISA, or the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Spitzer added that the view allowed the president to subvert international laws such as the Geneva Conventions and to suspend individual rights such as the right to due process to terrorism suspects. Mind you, Spitzer said pausing to glance at the audience, I said suspects, not convicts. Dery said the way people view their expectations of privacy influences their view of their constitutional rights, something students arent always fully aware of.

I dont think if you push people to say, do you really care about your Constitution? I think most of our students would say that they do, Spitzer said.

Pullen, is in his 33 years of teaching, is familiar with the attitudes of students at CSUF. They are here to simply go through the motions, get their diploma and go out into the workforce, Pullen said. Nobody is really seeking out the information so that they can become better scholars. Only twenty students attended the discussion of contemporary challenges to the U.S. Constitution. Spitzer said the event was not publicized as well as he would have liked, but like Pullen, he acknowledged that students are extremely busy. They are running from class to class, and in between they are trying to grab lunch. Their priorities may or may not necessarily to attend an academic forum on the Constitution, Spitzer said. The forum, which was held in the quad, was partially concealed by a large canopy and the tables being setup for the CSUFs upcoming career fair. Pullen, the chair-elect of the California First Amendment Coalition, stressed the importance of protecting constitutional rights and knowing what they are. This is not a Republican or a conservative or a liberal position its all about protecting democracy, Pullen said.